Electric baseboard radiator



June 29,1965 J. WILLIAMS, JR

ELECTRIC BASEBOARD RADIATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 17, 1962 FIG. 4

INVENTOR. HERALD J. WILLIAMS,JR

Z/M WW AT TORN EYS June 29, 1965 J. WILLIAMS, JR

ELECTRIC BASEBOARD RADIATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 17, 1962 INVENTOR HERALD J. WILLIAM$,JR

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,192,360 ELECTRIC BASEBOARD RADIATOR Herald J. Williams, Jr., Austin, Minn., assignor to Aqua- Lectric, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Filed Jan. 17, 1962, Ser. No. 166,876 1 Claim. (Cl. 219-341) This invention relates to space heating apparatus and more particularlyrelates to a heating panel for use in heating a room.

An object of my invention is to provide a new and improved space heating panel of simple and inexpensive construction and operation.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a novel baseboard heating panel which may be readily and easily assembled and installed with a minimum of difliculty.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved and novel hot water-type space heating apparatus wherein each of the space heating panels is connected by means of a single conduit to a liquid supply and an expansion tank and is electrically heated in such a manner as to produce trouble-free operation for an extended period.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a room area in a building with the present invention installed;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged elevation view of the invention with portions of the apparatus broken away and shown in section for clarity of detail;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged detail section taken at 33 in FIG. 2, and

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the electrical circuitry.

One form of the present invention is shown in the drawings and is described herein. The heating panel or baseboard radiator is indicated in general by numeral and is shown in FIG. 1 mounted on a wall W adjacent the floor F. The radiator 10 includes an elongate hollow housing 11 having a broad and flat configuration as seen in FIG. 3 wherein the front and rear walls 12 and 13 are disposed in closely spaced relation with each other and having a substantially planar configuration. The end wall 14 has a pair of openings 15 and 16 therein, the opening 15 being spaced above the bottom wall 17. Pipe fittings 18 and 19 are secured in the openings 15 and 16 respectively, and in the form shown the pipe fittings 18 and 19 are threadably secured in the openings; it being understood that other techniques of securing the pipe fittings in the openings might be employed. The fitting 18 is connected to a pipe 20 through which water or another liquid which may be treated to resist freezing, may be supplied and it will be noted that the pipe 20 is connected to an expansion tank 21 which is supplied with liquid from a control valve 22. i

The fitting 19 is connected to an air bleeding valve 23.

The other end wall 24 of the housing also has a pair of openings 25 and 26 formed therein and it will be noted that the opening 25 is disposed in spaced relation with the bottom wall 17 and in aligned relation with the opening 15. The opening 25 has the outer end 27 of an electric resistance heating element or rod 28 secured therein as by a threaded connection. The rod 28 is of a substantially conventional type with a water-proof metallic jacket confining electrical resistant heating wires which are embedded Within a suitable insulation. It will be noted that the inner end 29 of the heating rod 28 extends 31,192,360 Patented June 2%, 1965 through the housing -11 in spaced relation with the front and rear sidewalks 12 and 13 and along the bottom wall 17 in aligned but closely spaced relation with the opening 15 in the wall 14.

The opening 26 in end wall 24 has the outer end of a temperature-sensing probe or element 30 threaded therein. The temperature-sensing probe 30 is a portion of a high temperature cutout switch 31 which is shown diagrammatically in FIG. 4.

1 The terminal wires 32 of the heating rod 28 extend from the outer end 27 of the heating rod and in the form shown are confined in a suitable conduit 33 which carries the wires to an electrical outlet box 34 wherein the source of power supply is connected.

As best seen in FIG. 4, electrical power is supplied at line voltage to the terminals T1 and T2 and power buses 35 and 36. The power buses supply power to a stepdown transformer T for supplying power at a control voltage, less than line voltage, such as twenty eight volts nominal, to the buses 37 and 38. The control voltage power is supplied to the relay coils 39 through a thermostatic switch 40 which will be mounted in a suitable location in a room such as on a wall, as seen in FIG. 1. The line voltage power is supplied through the relay contacts 41 and through the normally closed high temperature cutout switch 31 to the electric resistance heating rod 23. It will be seen that several baseboard radiators are supplied with power from the buses 35 and 36 and as indicated by the dotted lines in FIG. 4, additional units may be attached.

It will be noted that in the operation, the liquid in the interior of housing 11 is heated by the electric resistance heating element or rod 28 and as the liquid slightly expands under influence of the heat, there will be a limited flow through the fitting 18 and into the expansion tank 21. As the liquid in the interior housing is heated, the liquid will flow upwardly from the heating rod 28 substantially as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 2. Because of the flow of liquid vertically in the housing, all of the liquid in the housing will be maintained at essentially the same temperature. The spaced relation of the heating rod 28 from the bottom wall 17 and from the pipe fitting 18 at opening 15 prevents any flow of particles of sand or any residual contaminating particles which may remain in the housing from the original casting thereof, and because of the flow of liquid around the heating rod any particles that may exist on the bottom 17 of the housing will be distributed along the entire length of the housing without any tendency to accumulate adjacent the opening 15. As a result, clogging of the fitting 18 or pipe 20 is extremely unlikely and the necessary expansion of the liquid is permitted.

It will also be recognized that the heating element or rod 28 will lengthen or expand longitudinally under the influence of heat. The cantilever mounting of the rod 28, and the continuing spaced relation between the rod and the endwall 14 permits the rod to lengthen under the influence of heat without causing any bowing or other deformation of the rod.

The free longitudinal expansion of the element or rod 28, together with the longitudinal movement of the end 29 thereof, absolutely minimizes the likelihood of any cracking or breakdown of the outer shell of the rod or of the insulation between the shell and the inner resistance wires. There is then no possibility of interference between the liquid in the chamber of the housing and the resistance heater.

At opposite ends of the housing 11, sheet metal boxes 42 are mounted which have front door panels 43 to provide access into the interior of the boxes and to the components of the baseboard radiator confined therein.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportion of the parts without departing from the scope of the invention which consists of the matter shown and described herein and set forth in the appended claim.

What I claim is:

A baseboard radiator, comprising an elongate, and entirely closed hollow liquid-confining housing to lie along the Wall of a room adjacent the floor and having a bottom Wall and opposite upright end Walls, each of said end walls having an opening therein spaced above the bottom wall, a pipe fitting in the opening of one upright end wall and providing direct and unobstructed communication With the interior of the housing, said fitting being adapted for connection to a liquid supply, an elongate electric resistance heating element having an outer end secured in the opening of the other end wall and having an inner end spaced above the bottom wall and extending endwise through the interior of said housing into spaced relation with said one end wall, and the element having electrical terminal means on said outer end at the exterior of the housing.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS RICHARD M. WOOD, Primary Examiner. 

